Tensioning device for therapeutic appliances



April 29, 1969 M. R. WILLIAMS Sheet ffijwd April 29, W69 M. R. WILLIAMS TENSIONING DEVICE FOR THERAPEUTIC APPLIANCES Filed March ".0, 1967 Sheet i 01"3 April 1969 M. R. WILLIAMS 3,441,026

TENSIONING DEVICE FOR THERAPEUTIC APPLIANCES Filed March ;o, 1967 Sheet of s ib INVENTOR.

77/ mam O .2% ZW wflzw United States Patent Office 3,441,026 Patented Apr. 29, 1969 3,441,026 TENSIONING DEVICE FOR THERAPEUTIC APPLIANCES Marguerite R. Williams, 500 Plattsville Road, Trumbull, Conn. 06611 Filed Mar. 10, 1967, Ser. No. 622,222 Int. Cl. A41c 1/08, 1/12 US. Cl. 128-558 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to therapeutic appliances, and more particularly to tensioning devices for selectively tightening therapeutic appliances such as surgical garments, trusses, supports, and the like.

While the principles of this invention may be incorporated in a variety of well known therapeutic appliances for the purpose of enhancing the bodily support provided thereby, they are described herein in conjunction with Womens therapeutic foundation garments of the corset, girdle, and panty girdle variety, an application in which this invention possesses an unusually high degree of utility.

Therapeutic foundation garments, which are generally worn pursuant to a doctors order, differ from conventional foundation garments, which are worn at the election of the user, in that'the former are specially constructed to provide a relatively high degree of support for the lumbar spinal, thoracic, and sacroiliac regions of the wearer for the purpose of relieving back pain, whereas the latter are constructed merely to provide a more fashionable appearance. The enhanced support of the therapeutic foundation garment is generally achieved by providing the garment with relatively inelastic front and back panels reinforced with stiffening bands or stays; The panels are compressed against the body of the wearer by tightening or tensioning devices connected between the front and back panels. The tensioning devices may include laces, belt and buckle arrangements, and the like. Both the stays and the tensioning devices generally are of heavy duty construction to thereby provide a measure of support not present in the conventional foundation garment. In use, the garment is placed about the trunk portion of the user, encircling the region to be supported. The tensioning devices are then tightened, compressing the front and back panels against the users body until the user is provided with the desired degree of support.

In general, the therapeutic foundation garments known in the art have not met with a high degree of success. One of the principal reasons for user dissatisfaction lies in what might be termed the clinical nature of the typi cal therapeutic garment. Specifically, many users, particularly younger women, have a built-in prejudice or dislike for the typical therapeutic foundation garment equipped with laces, belt and buckle arrangements, or the like. This dislike can be traced to both a distaste for their general appearance, as well as to the inordinate amount of time consumed in actually tightening them. Such is particularly true of garments using laces. As a consequence, women are reluctant to wear them, and if worn often cease wearing them at the slightest sign of improvement. Some women have even been known to refuse to wear them notwithstanding an acute back ailment.

It has been a principal objective of this invention to provide an improved tensioning device for therapeutic appliances, particularly therapeutic foundation garments, which permits the garment to be readily and easily posi tioned and adjusted for use, but yet does not make it displeasing in appearance. This objective has been accomplished in accordance with the principles of this invention by providing a unique strap and fastener arrangement. This arrangement, more specifically, includes a strap comprised of elastic material and having an anchored end secured to one portion of the garment, such as to the back panel, a free end, and an intermediate strap portion between the ends. Also included is a first fastener slidably mounted on the intermediate strap portion and connectable in use to a second portion of the garment, such as to the front panel. Further included in the tensioning arrangement is a securing fastener connectable in use between the free end of the strap and a portion of the strap intermediate the slidably mounted fastener and the anchored end.

In use, the garment is first positioned about the wearers trunk and the panels preliminarily tensioned by closing a conventional fastener, such as a zipper or the like, to provide initial compression for supporting the body. Then, the tensioning device of this invention is adjusted and secured. Specifically, the slidably mounted fastener is connected to the front panel and the free end of the strap drawn tightly across the front of the body until the desired degree of tension is produced. This further and very substantially compresses the front and back panels against the users body, providing marked additional compression. Finally, the free end of the strap is bent back upon itself and the securing fastener engaged, thus locking the strap and preserving the tensile condition induced therein. With the strap so tensioned and secured, the wearer is provided with a substantial amount of additional body support for supplementing that afforded by the initial tensioning of the panels produced as a consequence of preliminarily fitting the garment and engaging the conventional fastener. So substantial is the additional support provided by the tensioning device of this invention that it, in fact, provides the major portion of body supporting compression afforded by the garment.

In one preferred form of the invention, the first fastener is a clip having a slot through which the strap is adapted to slide and a tank which is detachably engageable with a hook on the front panel. The securing fastener, in this embodiment, including a hook secured to the free end of the strap and a plurality of eyelets formed in the strap intermediate the slotted fastener and the anchored end. An

advantage of this arrangement is that it is extremely simple in structure as well as in operation. In addition, it enables the strap to be secured in a variety of positions, allowing the wearer to select different degrees of tension and compression and, hence, of body support.

It has been a further and equally important objective of this invention to provide a tensioning device for use with therapeutic appliances, such as therapeutic foundation garments, which, when a plurality of straps are employed to provide maximum support, does not produce unsightly bulging adjacent the anchored ends of the straps. This objective has been achieved in accordance with the principles of this invention by employing a totally different anchoring concept for the straps in which the straps are secured to the garment in partially overlapped fashion. This overlapping of the anchored ends has been found to avoid bulging, that is, outward projection of the garment fabric between the straps caused by projecting flesh of the wearer, which would otherwise occur if the straps were anchored spaced from one another.

Other objectives and advantages of this invention will be more readily apparent from a detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a closed therapeutic foundation garment, showing the tensioning device of this invention incorporated therein;

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevation of the closed therapeutic foundation garment, showing the details of the overlapped anchoring arrangement;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the open garment, showing the outside thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the open garment, showing the inside thereof;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIGURE 1, showing the details of a strap and its associated fasteners;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIGURE 1, showing the details of the abdominal stays and pockets;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken along line 77 of FIGURE 2, showing the details of the spinal and auxiliary back stays and pockets; and

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken along line 88 of FIGURE 2, showing additional details of a spinal stay and pocket.

As shown best in FIGURES l and 2, a surgical or therapeutic appliance incorporating the tensioning device of this invention comprises a foundation garment which is seen to include a front panel and a back panel generally indicated by the reference numerals 10 and 11, respectively. Also included, and connecting the front and back panels 10 and 11 at their vertical side edges, are left and right side panels 12 and 13, respectively. Overlying the side panels 12 and 13 are left and right sets 14 and 15 of a preferred form of tensioning device constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention.

The front and back panels 10 and 11 are constructed of a relatively inelastic material reinforced with resilient bands or stays and in use provide support to the front and rear portions of the body, respectively. The left and right side panels 12 and 13 as well as the left and right sets of support bands 14 and 15 are constructed to include relatively elastic material and in use combine to provide slight compressive forces for enabling the front and back panels 10 and 11 to give secondary body support, primary support being provided by the tensioning devices to be described.

The back panel 11, as shown more particularly in FIGURES 2, 7, and 8, as well as the portions 12A and 13A of the side panels 12 and 13 adjacent the back panel, include a substantially rectangular support sheet fabricated of relatively inelastic material. The interior surface of the support sheet 20, which contacts the body of the user, is provided with a pair of longitudinally disposed pockets 21 for receiving a pair of identical spinal bands or stays 22. The pockets 21 are preferably fabricated of a soft material for effectively constituting a protective pad between the spinal stays 22 and the body of the user, thereby preventing the stays from projecting into the user in a discomforting manner. The pockets 21 may be secured to the support sheet 20 by sewing along the side, tip and bottom edges, 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d, and preferably are provided with a horizontal slot 31a for facilitating the easy removal of the spinal stays 22.

If desired, light gauge auxiliary spinal stays 23 may be permanently sewn in place in the pockets 21 between the spinal stays 22 and the support sheet 20. The auxiliary spinal stays 23 extend substantially the entire length of the garment to provide slight stiffening and prevent the upper waist portion of the back panel extending above the top of the spinal stays 22 from curling or buckling.

In practice, the identically constructed spinal stays 22 are preferably fabricated of heavy gauge metal band stock and possess a high degree of stiffness so as not to bend any significant amount when the garment is in use, thereby providing the users body with the desired support. The precise gauge of the band stock, and hence the exact stiffness and resilience of the stays 22, preferably are chosen so as to provide the correct degree of support for the particular user, heavier gauge stays being used where greater support is required. In addition, the stays 22 are preferably shaped to conform to the desired normal contours of that portion of the users body with which the stay members 22 are in contact.

The back panel 11 and contiguous portions 12A and 13A of the side panels, in addition to the pair of spinal stays 22, also includes vertically disposed auxiliary stays 3-1, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36. The auxiliary stays 31 and 36 are disposed along the outer vertical edges of the support sheet 20 and enclosed within pockets 31a and 36a constructed in any well known manner. The auxiliary stays 33 and 3-4 are disposed along opposite edges of the back panel 11. The auxiliary stays 32 and 35 are disposed along the inner edges of the side panel portions 12A and 13A, respectively. The auxiliary back stays 3235, like the auxiliary stays 31 and 36, are secured to the support sheet 20 by the expedient of suitable pockets 32a-35a.

Overlying the central portion of the support sheet 20 is a layer of decorative fabric 37. The decorative fabric 37 is provided to visually conceal the spinal stays 22 which generally, although not necessarily, are of heavier construction than the auxiliary back stays 3136. The decorative fabric 37 may be secured to the support sheet 20 in any suitable means as, for example, by sewing.

The right side panel portion 13B, comprising the remainder of right panel 13, as shown more particularly in FIGURES 14, is substantially rectangular in shape, being slightly wider at the bottom to accommodate the differential in waist and hip measurements of the user. The opposite vertical edges of the right side panel portion 133 are connected to the right vertical edges of the front panel 10 and right side panel portion 13A in any suitable manner as, for example, by sewing. The right side panel portion 13B is fabricated of relatively elastic material to provide the tensile force in the circumferential direction necessary to insure that the front and back panels 10 and 1 1 are snugly held in place against the users body.

The portion 12B of the left side panel 12, like the portion 138 of the right side panel 13, is substantially truncated in shape, being narrower at the top than at the bottom to provide for the measurement differential of the users waist and hips. The left side panel portion 128, also like the right side panel portion 138, is fabricated of relatively elastic material for the purpose of providing a circumferential tensile force for urging the front and rear panels 10 and 11 operatively against those portions of the users body to be supported. The left side panel portion 12B at its rearward vertical edge, is connected to the outer edge of the left side panel portion 12A in any suitable manner, while the forward vertical edge of the left panel portion 12B is detachably secured to the left edge of the front panel 10 by any suitable means, such as by the combination of a series of hooks and eyes 40:: and 40b and a slide fastener or zipper 41.

The front panel 10 includes a substantially rectangular front support sheet of relatively inelastic material. The central portion of the front support sheet 45 is provided with a pair of spaced, vertically disposed abdominal stays 47 secured thereto by suitably disposed pockets 48 sewn to the outer surface of the sheet 45. The front panel '10 at its upper corners is preferably provided with substantially rectangular inserts 49a and 49b of relatively elastic material. The right vertical edges of the right insert 491: and the front support sheet 45 are connected to the front edge of the right side panel 13 in any suitable manner as, for example, by sewing. The left vertical edges of the elastic insert 491) and the front support sheet 45 are secured to the fastener 41, the connection also being by any suitable means, as for example, by sewing. The front panel is further provided with an auxiliary front vertical stay 50 disposed along the right edge thereof which separates the right portion of the front panel 10 from the forward edge of the side panel .13. The stay 50 is secured in place in a manner similar to stays 31-36.

The abdominal stays 47 and the auxiliary front stay '50 are shorter than the spinal and auxiliary stays 22 and 31-36 in that they do not extend as far from the waist as the stays 22 and 31-36. This foreshortening of the abdominal and front stays 47 and 50 at the lower extremities thereof permits the user a relatively high degree of leg movement freedom without the risk of the user being jabbed or poked by the stays in a discomforting manner.

To visually conceal the abdominal stays 47, which in practice are usually of relatively heavier construction than that of the auxiliary front stay 50, the central portion of the front panel 10 is provided with an overlay of decorative fabric 60. The decorative fabric 60 is secured in place by sewing its edges to the front support sheet 45 and the inner edges of the elastic inserts 49a and 49b.

As best seen in FIGURES 1 and 5, the right set of tensioning devices include an upper tensioning device 15-1 and a lower tensioning device 15-2. The upper and lower tensioning devices 15-1 and .15-2 include substantially triangular shaped bands 9-1 and 9-2 having bases 58-1 and 58-2 which are aligned with and connected to the vertically disposed portion of the support sheet and decorative fabric 37 lying between the stays 34 and 35. The connection between the bases 58-1 and 58-2 of the bands 9-1 and 9-2 and the support sheet 20 and fabric 37 may be made in any suitable manner as, for example, by sewing. The bands 9-1 and 9-2 are located relative to each other in a manner such that the inner corners 65-1 and 65-2 of their bases 5-8-1 and 58-2, respectively, overlap in a manner best shown in FIGURE 2. This overlapping of the base portion 65-1 and 65-2 of the upper and lower bands 9-1 and 9-2 prevents the garment from bulging when the straps are under tension while in use, as would otherwise occur if the inner edges 67-1 and 67-2 of the bands 9-1 and 9-2 were spaced vertically from each other. This bulging when the straps are vertically spaced, as indicated previously, is produced by the outward force of the users flesh which urges, in an outward direction, the garment fabric located between the straps.

The intermediate portions 70-1 and 70-2 of the right bands 9-1 and 9-2, respectively, are provided with a plurality of eyelets 72-1 and 72-2 disposed in a line substantially perpendicular to the vertically disposed bases 58-1 and 58-2 of the bands 9-1 and 9-2. The ends 74-1 and 74-2 of the bands 9-1 and 9-2, respectively, are secured to one end of band extensions or locking straps 76-1 and 76-2. The other or free ends 85-1 and 85-2 of straps 76-1 and 76-2, respectively, are secured to hooks 78-1 and 78-2, which are selectively engageable with the eyelets 72-1 and 72-2, respectively, in a manner to be described. Clips 80-1 and 80-2 having slots 79-1 and 79-2, respectively formed therein, are slidably mounted on the straps 76-1 and 76-2, respectively. The clips 80-1 and 80-2 are provided with tangs 81-1 and 81-2 for selectively engaging loops 82-1 and 82-2, respectively, formed on the front panel 10 of the garment. The clips 80, hook 78, loops 82, and eyelets 72 facilitate the tensioning of the bands 9-1 and 9-2.

In one preferred manner of use, assuming the garment has been placed about the trunk of the user and closed, using the hooks 40a, eyelets 40b, and fastener 41, the tangs 81 are engaged with the loops 82. The ends 85 of the lock straps 76 adjacent the hooks 78 are then pulled parallel to the front panel 10 from the right toward the left, with the straps 76 sliding through the slots 79, until the proper degree of tension has been induced in the bands 9. With the straps 76 so extended, providing the bands 9 with the proper tension, the portions of the straps 76 between the clips and the hooks 78 are bent or folded back upon themselves disposing them parallel to the portions of the straps 76 between the clips 80 and the ends 74 of the bands 9. Having bent the locking straps 76 back upon themselves, the hooks 78 are then engaged with the appropriate ones of the eyelets 72, the appropriate ones being the eyelets which happen to be opposite the hooks 78.

The combination of the eyelets 72, the straps 76, the clips 80, the hooks 78, and loops 82 enables the bands 9 to be easily pulled taut, and secured in position without loosening. Specifically, it has been discovered that the straps 76, as they are being bent back upon themselves following the tightening operation, tend to be frictionally restrained from moving relative to the slots 79 formed in the clips 80. This tends to prevent the straps 76 from sliding through the clip slots 79 and decreasing the degree of tension induced in the bands 9 as the hooks 78 are being engaged with the appropriate ones of the eyelets 72. This self-locking or friction restraining coaction between the straps 76 and the slotted clips 80 tends to prevent the bands 9 from loosening during the course of engaging the hooks 78 and the eyelets 72 after once having pulled the bands 9 taut.

The left set of upper and lower tensioning devices 14-1 and 14-2 are substantially identical in structure and operation to their counterparts 15-1 and 15-2. Consequently, tensioning devices 14-1 and 14-2 are not described in detail.

In operation, the garment is placed about the trunk of the user with the upper portion of the garment at approximately the waist level and the upper bands 8-1 and 9-1 above the hip bone and the lower bands 8-2 and 9-2 slightly below the hip bone. With the garment so positioned, the garment is closed using the hooks 40a, the eyelets 40b, and the fastener 41. At this point, the front and back panels 10 and 11 are urged against the abdomen and spine of the user under the action of the elastic side panels 12 and 13, which are now exerting a minor amount of circumferential tensile force on the front and back panels due to having undergone some stretching in the course of engaging the hooks and eyelets 40a and 40b and the zipper 41. Hence, the abdominal stays 47 and the spinal stays 22 are compressed against the body of user.

The body support provided by tensioning the side panels 12 and 13, when compared to the support provided by tightening the tensioning devices 14 and 15, is relatively insignificant. As indicated previously, the major or primary source of body support is provided by the tensioning devices 14 and 15. This tensioning is produced by engaging the tangs 81 of the straps 76 with the loops 82 formed on the front panel 10. Thereafter, the ends 85 of the straps 76 are pulled parallel to the front panel 10, drawing the straps through the slot 79 in the clips 80 until the desired degrees of tension are induced in the bands 8 and 9 with which the straps 76 are associated. Having induced the proper tension in the bands 8 and 9, the strap portions 76 lying between the clips 80 and hooks 78 are bent back upon themselves in a. direction parallel to the portions of the straps lying between the clips 80 and the band ends 74. The hooks 78 are then engaged with the eyelets 72 disposed opposite the hooks 78, locking the bands 8 and 9 in the tensioned position in which they have been placed by drawing taut the lock straps 76. Having tightened the tensioning devices 15-1 and 15-2 and 14-1 and 14-2 and locked them in place by suitably engaging the hooks 78 and the eyelets 72 of their associated lock straps 76, the garment fitting operation is complete.

It should be understood that in the course of fitting the garment to the users body, the tensioning devices 15-1, 15-2, 14-1 and 14-2 may be tightened and secured in position in any desired sequence, with more than one being tightened and secured at a time. In addition, it should be understood that the degree of compression and, therefore, the degree of support provided by the garment may be varied to meet the needs of the user by independently varying the degree to which the tensioning devices 14-1, 14-2, -1, and 15-2 are tightened.

The removal of the garment is accomplished by disengaging the hooks 78 and the eyelets 72 of the left set of tensioning devices 14, thereby releasing the tension in the left bands 8-1 and 8-2. Thereafter, the clips '80 slidably mounted on the left straps 76 are disengaged from the loop 82 formed on the left portion of the front panel 10. Finally, the garment is opened using the hooks 40a, eyelets 40b, and the fastener 41.

In the course of removing the garment, it is not necessary to disengage the hooks 78 fixed to the ends 85 of the right straps 76 and the eyelets 72 formed in the right bands 9-1 and 9-2 nor is it necessary to disengage the clips 80 slidably mounted on the left straps 76 and the loops 82 formed on the left portion of the front panel 10. Consequently, once the garment is initially adjusted, the garmet may be fitted for use without readjusting the left set of bands 9, the left bands 9-1 and 9-2 having been adjusted the first time and left connected.

While the invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment thereof, those skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of modifications and changes may be made in the tensioning devices 14 and 15 without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, it is contemplated that the angle at which the bands 8 and 9 of each of the sets of tensioning devices 14 and 15 are disposed relative to each other may be varied from that shown in FIGURE 1. Specifically, it is contemplated that the angle between the upper and lower bands on each side of the garment may be altered. This alteration can be accomplished by varying the vertical distance between the loops 82-1 and 82-2 on both the left and right portions of the front panel 10.

In addition to varying the disposition of the bands 8 and 9 as attached to the garment, it is possible to independently vary their maximum vertical dimensions, thereby varying the degree of support provided. For example, all the bands 8 and 9 may be wide or narrow. Alternatively, the upper and lower bands 8-1, 9-1, and 8-2, 9-2 may be wide and narrow, respectively, or vice versa. It is also contemplated that the number of tensioning devices per garment may be varied. For example, one, two, three, etc. may be used depending on the degree and nature of support desired and the length of the garment. It is further contemplated that the position of the tensioning devices 14 and 15 relative to the vertical dimension of the garment may be varied. For example, the tensioning devices 14 and 15 may both be shifted to an upper portion of the garment, a lower portion, or an intermediate portion, as desired, thereby varying the exact point on the wearers body to which the primary support is provided.

As indicated previously, it is also contemplated that the amount of tension induced in the bands 8 and 9 may be selectively varied in accordance with the degree of compression and, hence, the support desired by the user. This result may be achieved by engaging the hooks 78-1 with different ones of the eyelets 72-1, the outer eyelets being used when increased support is desired. Finally, it is contemplated that padding may be provided on the underside of the ends 74 of the bands 8 and 9 in the region underlying the eyelets 72, thereby providing a cushion between the engaged eyelets 72 and hooks 78 and the body of the user.

I claim:

1. In a therapeutic appliance having first and second body support panels engageable in use with different portions of the body of a wearer, the improvement comprismg:

at least one strap comprising elastic material and being anchored at one end to said first panel,

a first fastener connectable in use to said second panel and slidably connected to said strap for permitting said strap to be moved relative to said first fastener to place said strap and said panels in a tensioned condition, and

a securing fastener connectable in use between the free end of said strap and a portion of said strap intermediate said fastener and said anchored end for securing said strap, when folded back upon itself, in said tensioned condition, thereby maintaining said panels in tension for compressing and supporting said body portions of said wearer.

2. The improvement of claim 1 having at least two of said straps and wherein said straps overlap at the point of connection to said first adjacent said point of connection.

3. The improvement of claim 2 wherein said securing fastener comprises a hook fixed to said free end of said strap and a plurality of horizontally spaced eyelets formed in an intermediate portion of said strap for securing said strap in a plurality of different tension conditions.

4. The improvement of claim 1 having two pairs of said straps, each of said pairs overlying different edges of said panels of said appliance, and wherein said straps of each pair overlap at the point of connection to said first panel for preventing bulges from occurring in said appliance adjacent said point of connection.

5, The improvement of claim 1 wherein said first fastener is slotted to slidably engage said strap.

6. A garment for providing body support comprising:

a first main panel for supporting a first body part of a user, said first main panel comprising relatively inelastic material,

a second main panel for supporting a second body part of a user, said second main panel comprising relatively inelastic material,

a first side panel and a second side panel, each connected in use to said first and second main panels to form a substantially tubular shape, said side panels comprising relatively elastic material for preliminarily compressing said first and second main panels into supporting relationship to said first and second body parts, respectively, of a user encircled by said garment,

at least one strap comprising elastic material and being anchored at one end to said first main panel,

a first fastener connectable in use to said second panel and slidably connected to said strap for permitting said strap to be moved relative to said first fastener to place said strap in a tensioned condition, and

a securing fastener connectable in use between the free end of said strap and a portion of said strap intermediate said fastener and said anchored end for securing said strap, when folded back upon itself, in said tensioned condition, thereby providing primary compressive body support which is supplemented by said secondary compressive support afforded by said cooperating front, back and side panels.

7. The garment of claim 6 having at least two of said straps and wherein said straps overlap at the point of connection to said first panel for preventing bulges from occurring in said garment adjacent said point of connection.

8. The garment of claim 6 having two pairs of said straps, each of said pairs overlying different side panels, and wherein said straps of each pair overlap at the point of connection to said first panel for preventing bulges from occurring in said garment adjacent said point of connection.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,629,203 5/1927 Coon 128560 2,283,108 5/1942 Versoy 128561 2,858,832 11/1958 Loefiel et a1 128-558 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 128--560 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE PATENT OFFICE Washington, D.C. 20231 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 ,441 ,026 April 29 1969 Marguerite R. Williams It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 8, line 12, after "first" insert panel for preventing bulges from occurring in said appliance Signed and sealed this 14th day of April 1970.

(SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

